A different way to fix the problem...

[susandennis]

Years ago, I had an earache that I just ignored. I was busy with work and I didn't have a doctor and it was too much trouble to do anything about it. (Ironically, I was working, at the time, in Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic. It was a small town with probably the highest percentage of doctors of any city.)

Anywho, one night, in the middle of the night, my eardrum finally just ripped and OMG was that ever painful. I mean really really really painful. Plus, it fucked with my hearing and it leaked. I had blood and stuff dripping from my ear. It turned out not to be fatal but took a long time to heal and not hearing is annoying.

So, I'm kind of over sensitive about ear issues. But, what if my current issue is just like a zit in the ear. Just a tiny little annoying but small little sore that will heal up on its own. Why go to the trouble of bothering the doctor?

But, what if it gets bad. Really bad. Tomorrow. Too late to get an appointment.

This is the conversation I've been having with myself on and off all afternoon. Until just now when finally I had an attack of the smarts. I went to the Humana website and finally figured out how to see if there are any urgent care facilities that 1. are covered and 2. are near me and 3. are open good, long hour and 4. do ears.

BINGO!!! There's one right not far at all that meets all the criteria. In fact it's even on the trolley route. (The trolley stops a block from here.)

So, if my ear goes south, I'll take it into that place. No appointment needed. Covered. And WHEW. The end of that problem.

I did take a walk up to Starbucks. I am not a Starbucks person. I have no beef with them, I just make my own coffee. But holiday drinks. So, I've had occasion to visit recently and I must say, those people are really nice. I mean really really nice. I can see how people get sucked into that habit.

However the salted caramel mocha? Not my thing. Way too sweet. I still have 2 or 3 others to try before I give it up for another year.

Comments

[hopefulspirit.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine how bad your ear must have felt. I'm glad you have a close option if it gets awful for you.

I can't drink the salted caramel mocha either. Once in a great while I've done the salted caramel hot chocolate and that wasn't quite as bad (though not far off). I think my favorite drink at Starbucks is the caramel apple spice, it's apple cider and so good. But I'm a caramel fan, so there's that.

[susandennis]

So far my fav has been the peppermint mocha.

I love it when they ask you if you want whipped cream. DOH. To me, the drink is just a whipped cream delivery system!

[lifeinroseland.livejournal.com]

But the question is, what ever happened with the toothbrush problem?

I’ll have a Starbucks drink just for fun ocassionally, and got the pumpkin spice latte to make a friend happy recently. Oh my YUCK! Nine spoonfuls of sugar would have been the same thing.

[susandennis]

Ahhhh so... I did hear from the toothbrush people late this afternoon. They told me to put the toothbrush in the fridge in hopes of shrinking the battery. If that didn't work, they wanted photographs and a video. And they wanted to know what kind of battery was in there. (Since I can't get it out, I have no idea.)

I voted them off the island.

Amazon is bringing me a new toothbrush/water flosser combo on Friday. Small, one plug. Simple.

Life is too short to be taking a fucking video of a $30 toothbrush.

[lifeinroseland.livejournal.com]

Whaaaat??? That’s the craziest customer service response I’ve heard! I hope you told them about life being too short, and that they were voted off lol!

I was on the fence about them. I have a perfectly fine Phillips electric toothbrush, but I’m a bit of a shopaholic. I, too, would have expected a brand new replacement toothbrush at the first sign of trouble, especially from all these new trendy brands that should be kissing our feet.

[susandennis]

I like the sleekness of the tooth brush and I love the hanging on the mirror thing but I'm not convinced it does the best brushing job and I'm totally over the company. Plus the 'membership' thing kind of bugged me for no good reason.

I did explain why I was divorcing them (and used that word). That's when I got the mail about the fridge/video. I didn't even bother to respond to it.

[eventidereverie.livejournal.com]

That is one of the worst pains I have ever had was when my eardrum ruptured. I hope you don't have any major problems with your ear, but glad you have an option close to you for care should you need it.

[susandennis]

So you for sure get it. I do not intend to go through that again!

[jawnbc]

drugs stores in canada now sell OTC antibiotic ear drops with anti-inflammatory too.

[susandennis]

Oh Canada!

If only they allowed restaurants to serve rare beef.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

Hope you have no more problems with your ear,
Not a great Starbucks fan but some of their coffees are nice.

[awakenyourfaith.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry about your ear :/ I can't imagine what it must have felt like.

[meathiel]

Hope it's nothing with your ear and you won't have to go see a doc.

IMO most of the stuff at Starbucks is too sweet. Who am I kidding - all of it is too sweet.

Ears & $tarbuck$

[natevw.livejournal.com]

I'm quite deaf so any hearing loss is horrible not to mention the pain involved .

I recently got some sort of pimple deep in my ear canal, every day when I shower I wash my ears carefully then clean them with a Q Tip, in spite of this the pain increased to where I couldn't insert my hearing aid, off to Urgent Care where they nipped me for $20 copay then irrigated my ear with I don't know what, it worked and they gave me some steroidal anti inflammatory drops that seemed to clear things up in a few days .

Until you've had a serious ear problem you cannot imagine the pain involved .

Waiting until the eardrum ruptured is very unwise as scar tissue develops and this hinders clear hearing.....

-Nate

Re: Ears & $tarbuck$

[susandennis]

Oh man, that sounds so horrible. I 'm now even way more appreciative of my ear's healing up. Today is the best it's been in forever.

Ears

[natevw.livejournal.com]

I doubt you want to hear my soap opera tale .

I've had tinnitus since I was 12 Y.O. .

Not hearing is bad beyond imagination .

I love music and so have to crank it way up now .

Point here is : take care of your body, there are no replacement parts .

-Nate

So, so sweet

[letmesaythis.livejournal.com]

Dunkin Donuts' specialty drinks are usually too sweet too. I tell them to halve the syrup/sweetener and that helps a lot.

Re: So, so sweet

[susandennis]

we are the last outpost... we have zero Dunkin Donuts here. makes me want one.